Pleasanton Weekly

News - May 18, 2012

Pleasanton toddler, 3, back home from hospital after being run over by car

Mother pulls son from under vehicle before front wheels reached him

by Jeb Bing

A 3-year-old Pleasanton boy is back home with his parents, released from Stanford University Medical Center after being struck by a run-away car last Friday that rolled over him on a Harvest Road sidewalk where he was walking with his mother.

Cade Vieler, the son of Erika and David Vieler, suffered injuries to his legs and lower abdomen after the rear wheels of the car rolled over him. His mother pulled him away before the front wheels reached him as the car continued to roll into the street.

Pleasanton Police Lieutenant Jim Knox said the car had been parked in the driveway and that it appeared its most recent driver had not properly placed the car in park and failed to engage the emergency brake. The vehicle began rolling backward while unoccupied and rolled over the young boy.

"A second child, an 18-month-old girl, was also near the vehicle when it began rolling," Knox said. "She was knocked over. However, it is unclear if she was struck by the vehicle or simply knocked over when the parent was pulling the boy from under the car. She received minor abrasions but was checked at the scene by emergency medical personnel and determined to be uninjured."

Three-year-old Cade Vieler was taken by ambulance to the Amador Valley High School parking lot where he was airlifted to the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. Tests there showed that he did not sustain any internal injuries.